Saturday, May 31, 2014

So……aren't these the CUTEST Tom's ever?? Mei Mei is a Frozen Freak-a-zoid like every other 10 and under in the country so we pulled a good one for her birthday. We have a family friend that paints these shoes as her occupation, so we ordered up a pair and surprised the heck out of this cutie today at her birthday shin-dig. (Her actual big day is a couple of weeks away but for logistic reasons we partied today!) A BIG shout out to Adrienne for making Mei's day fantabulous!! She's so talented!!

Friday, May 30, 2014

The painful reality of what is still going on in our world today. Watch this trailer and see why sometimes the three most difficult words for new parents to hear are, "It's A Girl." Infanticide, abuse, neglect of girls is still very much a reality in the developing world today. The full length movie is on Netflix instant stream to your device if you have that option. Eye opening. Gut wrenching. True. Watch, learn and obtain knowledge so you can be better informed on this global problem.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

This year's first and lasts with the girls in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. What did we learn?? Well, lots. From the looks of the bottom pic it appears we gained sass, confidence and pushing Mom's buttons 101. Heh. That we did! Mei Mei got glasses and immediately her grades went up. Hmmmmm. Amazing how that works. It was a phenom year on all accounts. Can't begin to tell you how wonderful our school is and how they have gone above and beyond the call for us on multiple occasions. Truly a family. See those schmancy backpacks up top? Torn to shreds now. We work hard, play hard, live hard.

Both Nature Girl and Blondie grew tall. Nature Girl is almost 5'5" and finding clothes that aren't a gazillion dollars (she puts holes in everything still) is a daunting task. She wears a ladies size 9 shoe so no shoe sharing with her! Blondie is hovering a little over 5 ft. but is catching up fast. Her shoes are easy….ladies 7's. Mei Mei is still teeny tiny at not quite 48". See those shorts she has on? Size 4-5. Shoes are still from the toddler department size 12.5 or 13 (she turns 9 in a couple of weeks and is heading into the 4th grade.)

Our summer plans are unplanned. This is the first year in a long while we are up in the air as to which direction to turn. Stay tuned cause we don't stay still for long!!

Saturday, May 17, 2014

I have a very wise friend that recently told a new mom in her life, "You're a mom now. You are not allowed to complain about being tired. We're all parents, and we're all tired…..all the time, so no one needs to hear that come out of your mouth." I've thought about those words and the more I've thought …..the more I think she is right. As Mom's knowing what's involved in being a parent and being motivated to get it right automatically qualifies us for the 'daily tired' category. All our resources every single day are drained trying to make sure the little people in our lives are cared for, protected and guided to the next steps of their development……not to mention having food and clean underwear come their way as needed. (This may be TMI but most 'rents have to beg their offspring to stay clean….correct? I have one that literally changes underwear 3-4 times a day. Clearly, we have an issue. Is there underwear therapy available?? Cause this kid is in major need.) To top it off, most of the mom's I hang with work in some capacity. Throw a job on top of already burdened schedules and most of us without reservation can say we 'live tired'……(like duh.) BUT, hands down the Mom's I like being around the most are the ones that I see are the hardest workers, yet you never, ever ever hear them drone on and on about how hard it is to do what they do. They just do it…..cause it's right….and cause they're awesome…..and because God created us to be strong women that work hard, play hard and pray hard. Right??!!

These little ladies have had an awesome year. (I know that word awesome is overused but continue reading and you will see why it has no replacement.) They have worked their little fingers to the bone doing things I never thought they could do. We have STOMPED all over those Learning Differences and are learning coping mechanisms and strategies to tackle that great big world out there. Big Girl land, watch out….. the Princess Collection is well on it's way. This year we have focused on creating 'strong girls that don't wilt at the first hint of difficulty.' Daily we have the conversation that God wants strong women that will rise up……prepare themselves to know life is hard and not be afraid to be creative, thinking, educated girls fearless for HIS glory. It's miraculous and it's working. Out of the ashes we rise. Yes we have and will continue to do so.

But…..tired is more than physical. (Can I get an amen??!) I am currently in the best shape physically (working out like a boss) that I've been in a while. I'm not physically tired most days……but mentally, well, that's another story. I'm that 'end of school' mom that has turned into a bi-polar, schitzo (new word), crazy lunatic that praises school one moment while ever so slightly (or not) cursing it the next. I've got nothing left. I CAN'T conjugate one more latin verb. Nope, not gonna happen Sam I am. Hand me that answer key now or I'll knock it out of your hand. Declensions? Are you crazy? (they are from the underworld just so you know……way far beneath the earth and I'm being nice.) Please, please do not ask me for a synonym/ antonym or better quality word for ANYTHING! I don't care if you have excellent vocabulary or not….just slap something down on that paper and let's call it a day. (I may or may not have actually done this.) ANOTHER Book Report????!!! Kid, go find the shortest book on the shelf that counts as a chapter book….. read it to your sister (cause I am that word from the top of this post that I'm not allowed to say and can't sit and listen to another read-aloud or I'll do something ugly)…. and cause there's 2weeks left of school. Dos amigos. The countdown is on. Let's wrap this baby up!

Now lets throw in some swirly Least Common Denominators and x-y axis graphs with a few negative integers thrown in for those of you drowning in Math land. Math…..I love. Yes, I'm weird. I get math….it's logical, linear and done in 30 problems or less. You don't have to think out of the box cause God made lovely little math boxes that make sense. However, when you have artistic, floaty child who daydreams in unicorn language just walking to breakfast……math becomes a painful reality that must be dragged from her tiny little body millimeter by millimeter daily. By May….those millimeters are stretched like Gumby and I can feel the earth shake when the word "Maaaaattttthhhhh" is mentioned. 2weeks.

By this time of year we have no uniforms that fit….nor shoes…..(unless you are Mei Mei who doesn't grow). Nature Girl currently has one school uniform shirt. One. She passed her poor (but not tired) mother in stature a few months ago and her BRAND NEW uniform pants are currently anklets. She has gone to school in the same shirt with her anklets all month now…..and I refuse to buy more. I am that mother that I swore I'd never be…..but you see this kid is growing like no one's business (tall child….oh so tall) and I know that if I get more they'll be too short in a week……and there are 2weeks left. So the last week of school she'll show up again in her one shirt…..and by then newish uniform pants will be capris. She doesn't care. Blondie actually asked me if I was going to let Nature G out of the house like that last week. Yep. 2weeks. Then they all wear flip flops or go barefoot…..and the uniform of summer becomes a bathing suit…..and we live like hippies ….and besides no one will notice that you've been wearing water shoes to school lately because your mom refuses to buy brand new expensive Nike's only to have them tossed aside…..to be grown out of again in a blip. 2weeks. (Remind me to write a book on 'How to Embarrass the Blond' because she thinks I've lost my noodles. Everything embarrasses her now….it's fun.)

She works so hard. She's awesome.

I'm ready to read a book for fun. I'm ready to stick my toes in the sand….(we live in Florida and I haven't been to the beach in well over 8 months). I need to find my head again…..(it's sloshing around somewhere up there) and to know the beauty of an ordinary summer. I need to do laundry. WE need to clean our house top to bottom. (This week you would've heard me say, "LADIES! We do NOT live in a barn! Are you a goat? Well are you? THEN PICK THIS UP!" Yea, great parenting right there.) This Mama is limping across the finish line…..limping…..but never doubting she will finish. We will look back on this year as epic. Epic because of those danged Latin conjugations and declensions that Nature Girl and Blondie are UNDERSTANDING ….epic because Nature Girl just wrote an 8 paragraph paper ON HER OWN……epic because lil Mei Mei can actually see her schoolwork now…...because who would've ever thought this group of unlikely sisters brought together by a Holy God would be in a place where they could learn like they do?? ! Amazing Grace. Holy Ground. Miracles every. single. day. around here. Grateful. 2weeks. Can't wait! Bam.